The above is a quote from Gerard Phillips, the personable raptor counter at Derby Hill. On April 10th, 12 memb
ers of the Waterman Bird Club drove to the Derby Hill Bird Observatory to watch raptors migrate around the east side of Lake Ontario on their way to Canada.

The birds flew past in good numbers. The weather was good (no rain). The Lodge accommodations were VERY nice and the birders from the host Onandaga Audubon group very helpful and friendly.

We were too early for Broadwing Hawks but saw 13 other raptor species.* My favorites were the Roughlegs. We got to see several different plumages which added to the enjoyment of seeing them fly past. We also saw flocks of Snow Geese, Canada Geese, Double-crested Cormorants, a few Common Loons and 2 Sandhill Cranes. I should also mention Redwing Black-birds, Grackles, Cowbirds, Robins, Bluejays, and Crows. Mixed in were Flickers, Tree Swallows, Rusty Blackbirds, Goldfinches, and a few Barn Swallows and Horned Larks.

All in all we saw 84 species and that includes our Sunday trip to Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge where we saw many waterfowl species, some of which we hadn’t seen at Lake Ontario, such as Canvasback, Redhead, and Shoveler Ducks. Also at Montezuma we saw thousands of spawning carp in the Seneca River floodplain. They seemed to like the shallow flooded areas that come right to the edge of Wildlife Drive so we could see them easily.

In the evenings, just after sunset, we went out in back of our main lodge and listened to Woodcock. We caught a few glimpses of one or two as they flew their mating flights.

Another important aspect of our trip was the food we consumed from the menu created by Binnie Chase. The kitchens in our Douglaston Manor Lodges were well equipped so Binnie, with “some” help from the rest of us, made Maine blueberry pancakes one morning and three evening meals that we all ate with much gusto. From hors d’oeuvres to desserts our taste buds were given a treat. Many thanks to Binnie. We might even go to Derby Hill next Spring.

*The complete raptor list follows: Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin.